Born on March 24th 1874, it's time to celebrate the 140th birthday of Harry Houdini! For some reason he celebrated on April 6th but March 24th is the actual date of his birth in Budapest.

Whilst he may not have been the best magician ever and is probably better known for his escapology work, it's significant that the mere mention of his name is enough for anyone to immediately picture the man and perhaps recall something they know about him. There were many other fine magicians around at the time, Carl and Alexander Hermann, Kellar, Thurston and others who magicians may know but not he public at large. Paul Daniels explains that Houdini's enduring fame is purely down to his showmanship and the fact that his widow, Bess, kept the name alive with those annual seances where she tried to make contact - something Houdini allegedly said he would, do if it were possible.

I suppose some of us will have been on the end of the sarcastic remark along the lines of, 'OK, Houdini, show us some magic', in many ways Houdini is like Titanic - another iconic name which most people know despite the many years since the sinking in the North Atlantic and the many other maritime disasters listed in history.